Hiking with the Cub Scouts

The Cub Scouts have been planning a hike to the Red Rocks Park for months.  Since it was planned for May 10 in Colorado, we figured we might have to deal with some rain, but that we'd be ok in the morning, as a general rule.  Little did we know that SNOW would be predicted for the day of the hike!  Luckily we got out early in the morning and had a great hike!  The Boy was really excited for a chance to show off his hiking gear--for our approximately one mile "hike" he brought his walking stick, his overnight pack, his pocket knife, and his emergency (crank) radio.  He does believe in being prepared.

 The Girl, on the other hand, brought a simple day pack and her I-pod, so she doesn't have to talk to us, I guess.

 We met the rest of the den, navigated around a wedding party trying to park, and we were off!

 Nice!

 Mr. Ranch has been talking about adding yuccas to our yard for a year--here are some!














The kids all had a great time and we adults didn't have too much trouble keeping up with them.  Maybe we should have put bricks in The Boy's pack to slow him down.

 This was a nice easy hike--sunny, warm, but not too hot.  We followed up with ice cream and then hustled home to cover the plants before the snow started!

A sign I've completely lost my mind?

For years Mr. Ranch has enjoyed overnight backpacking.  He has traveled, among other places, along the Appalachian Trail, The White Mountains, The Olympic Peninsula, and many other places around Colorado.  He has also attempted for years to convince me to come along.  There are rumors though, that in the next few years a backpacking trip to the Grand Canyon and to Manchu Picchu could be in the works.  That, along with watching "The Way" (starring Martin Sheen backpacking through part of Europe) convinced me I should give it a try. 
This was also the first trip for The Boy and The Girl, so we picked a relatively easy trail, about 4.5 miles each way.  Here's my photo log of the trip...

 The Boy, ready to start.  We were initially a bit concerned about the number of cars parked at the trail head.  Our impression was that this trail wasn't super busy so we were surprised to see so many cars!  As we traveled the trail, we did see more people than we expected, but not so many that it was crowded.

 The picture above could be my favorite from the trip with the one below being a close second favorite

 So the building below was employee housing for the ill-fated company that tried to dam up "Lost Creek" by injecting concrete into it.  The project never worked, but left some cool reminders.

 We're not sure what the deal is with these rock formations...but they are very cool.

 Cooking dinner in the light rain was followed by playing cards and reading in the tents.  Breakfast the next morning was pancakes (yum).

 Packing up camp....

 And heading home!

 Yay!  We made it!

 My phone, however, seemed to be time traveling--very entertaining, as there were not many cell phones in 1980...

Final thoughts on overnight backpacking, as reported to Mr. Ranch...I thought the actual hiking with the pack would be much harder than it was.  The up hills were challenging ,but not impossible.  The hardest part was using the bathroom outside.  I think I'm in for some of the future trips...maybe....